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Post by sleepcircle on Mar 19, 2014 10:27:00 GMT
His name wasn't given in the comic, but the guy with the cloak and scythe was Ankou. So Mort is of French ancestry? Jones has feelings? Possibly French but I think it might possibly be more likely that his ancestry is Cornish or Breton. |
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rama
Junior Member
Heh
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Post by rama on Mar 19, 2014 10:40:51 GMT
Well. That was quick.
And traumatizing.
Mort in the last panel seems to be piecing it together pretty quickly. The helmet might be responsible for this. Hopefully he isn't completely heartbroken.
On the subject of clothes vs bombs, from what I can remember of my schooling in the matter, a 50 kilo bomb/grenade has enough explosives to reduce your bones to little bits from a hundred yards. Then again that's the modern stuff. It's likely that the bombs of that era were far less powerful.
What is consistent is that clothing is far more resilient to blast waves than the human body is. Fabric, especially loose fabric, can stretch, squash and shake at high speeds without sustaining a lot of lasting damage, while the human body....can't.
Jones not included of course.
That isn't to say it wouldn't be damaged by flying bits of wall, but the cartoon physics version where clothing is blown clean off the body is rather ludicrous. Even an incendiary bomb needs some time to work. For those needing their fix, I'd advise a higher dosage or a switch to something more potent.
Also, does anyone else hope mustache man has something nice to say to Mort?
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Post by freeformline on Mar 19, 2014 10:44:47 GMT
I imagine he will say something rather affirming; the RotD probably don't make ghosts out of people without recommendation or reputation. It's an important job and there are many applicants, I'm sure.
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Post by eyemyself on Mar 19, 2014 10:49:40 GMT
Or it's like the flashbacks Scrooge goes through, Annie is observing the past through Morts memories. Maybe I should have worded that better..what happens when a second guide shows up? Something kinda similar to this has happened before, and it wasn't pretty. And Annie doesn't even have a claim to him, unless Mort's wishes (should he get notified by his ghost somehow..?) trump contracts of ownership etc? I think it is far more likely that this is a flashback, or Mort telling his story, than that Annie is going to show up in the past to claim his spirit from the other guide. We have seen Tom do flashbacks this way before, we have not seen any indication that time travel exists in the Gunnerverse through etheric means or otherwise. I think, more likely, we are about to find out what his "special circumstances" were and why he elected to become a ghost. |
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Post by TBeholder on Mar 19, 2014 10:55:22 GMT
The intact cap, while not impossible, makes it look like "smoking shoes" shot, IMO. Of course, the infantry sup... uh... forum already secured the black comedy area. So who's betting Jones can see (thus, interact with) the psychopomp? Naw, I don't think so. Didn't she have like zilch etheric abilities? She can't use some toys and can't teach humans anything she considers useful in this area. The rest is unknown and partially remains a matter of definition. It will be interesting to see whether or not Jones can see Mort here, because she can see him at GC. Maybe that's why he stuck around? However unlikely. That does explain a bit, but that is rather large amount of damage from a 50 kilo bomb even with the fascade wall collapsing. Yup. But, you know that WH40k corollary about weapons not scaled for the intended target? "One lasgun doesn't do diddley. But a platoon of lasguns, that's a whole lot of diddley." So, a whole bay of these... Which is also half of the reason why most of those bombs were of visibly ultra-cheapskate production (except fuz... fus... detonator assembly), of course. On the subject of clothes vs bombs, from what I can remember of my schooling in the matter, a 50 kilo bomb/grenade has enough explosives to reduce your bones to little bits from a hundred yards. A pre-WWII defensive type hand grenade could (and still can) kill from 200 meters. But then, it doesn't look like it was made in an old pig sty with roof iron welding equipment, either. And bombs like this may as well have been (what's with L-bar clippings holding fins on some photo) - realistically, they could not be expected to have any real effect other than keep the folk from useful work by forcing them to waste time on sitting in shelters during a raid and repairing stuff after, so not even the Third Reich was crazy enough to waste resources and effort on this junk. |
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melkior
Junior Member
Nice Hat!
Posts: 84
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Post by melkior on Mar 19, 2014 11:06:27 GMT
That has got to be the creepiest (and best) depiction of The Grim Reaper that I've ever seen.
I'm wondering if the 'mustache' was actually wisps of hair floating etherically on either side of his head. Regardless, I bet it's meant to be the same guy.
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Post by noone3 on Mar 19, 2014 11:44:17 GMT
His name wasn't given in the comic, but the guy with the cloak and scythe was Ankou. And I was wondering why the Grim One is sporting a sombrerro...  |
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Post by scaramousche on Mar 19, 2014 11:57:23 GMT
This page is missing some small caps. If you know what I mean.
“I DON'T THINK SHE CAN HEAR YOU.”
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Post by Per on Mar 19, 2014 12:32:23 GMT
RIP Mort He is survived by his blood-stained helmet. It inherits the forbidding manor in Staffordshire that was his birthright. (we got a fanfic going here) HA! Called it! Oh wait, no...the opposite of calling it. That is exactly what I thought for a second when I saw the first panel. You guyses must not have read The Sandman, Death basically couldn't step on-panel without this type of thing happening. |
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Post by warrl on Mar 19, 2014 12:59:06 GMT
Jones can hear Mort and Ankou just fine. They can't hear her. (In Piers Anthony's On a Pale Horse, the first book of the Incarnations of Immortality series, ghosts can't see or hear the living unless they have a date with Death. So they are saddened simply by having a conversation with an attractive highly-intelligent young woman. If I remember correctly, on that occasion she and Death go to dinner and a movie. ) |
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rama
Junior Member
Heh
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Post by rama on Mar 19, 2014 13:06:57 GMT
A pre-WWII defensive type hand grenade could (and still can) kill from 200 meters. But then, it doesn't look like it was made in an old pig sty with roof iron welding equipment, either. And bombs like this may as well have been (what's with L-bar clippings holding fins on some photo) - realistically, they could not be expected to have any real effect other than keep the folk from useful work by forcing them to waste time on sitting in shelters during a raid and repairing stuff after, so not even the Third Reich was crazy enough to waste resources and effort on this junk. Oh for sure. The effective range is enormous, as humans are rather fragile and can die from a wayward piece of shrapnel. I was just saying that at a hundred meters you are pretty much stone cold dead. Overkill is an understatement. As to the quality, I've heard of rockets made of Papier-mâché that held up well enough to take out tanks, so one should not underestimate the shed-built stuff just because of its origin. The all out war mindset also made all parties ready to use any means, no matter how ineffective, to try to harass and terrorize the opponent. The psychological impact of the bombings should not be downplayed. There is also merit to the idea of covering large areas with these smaller, lower quality munitions, because even without being completely destroyed, a damaged house or a busted pavement might be bad enough to make them unusable. On the other side of that spectrum we find ridiculous stuff like the Schwerer cannons. Thinking about this stuff in a cost-to-effect-ratio manner makes me a little sad. Ankou reminds me of Odin for some reason. |
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Post by ctso74 on Mar 19, 2014 13:18:20 GMT
But that's pulling speculation farther than I like Are you sure you're in the correct forum?...*rimshot* I was hoping for some kind of last second save for Mort. At least, his passing was poignant and tasteful. I just noticed, that the thumbnail in the archive page, could be Annie standing at a grave. Maybe, this is all flashback, while Annie hears the tale. |
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Post by smjjames on Mar 19, 2014 13:43:02 GMT
So Mort is of French ancestry? Jones has feelings? Possibly French but I think it might possibly be more likely that his ancestry is Cornish or Breton. More specifically he could be of Norman descent. Being of Cornish or Breton descent is equally likely. |
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Post by Daedalus on Mar 19, 2014 13:45:13 GMT
I saw no Eglamore on this page.
(Astonished no one made this joke yet...)
But yeah, I wonder how well Mort will deal with it.
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Post by warrl on Mar 19, 2014 14:13:42 GMT
There is also merit to the idea of covering large areas with these smaller, lower quality munitions, because even without being completely destroyed, a damaged house or a busted pavement might be bad enough to make them unusable. Not only that, but if the building is too dangerous to enter but still substantially intact, tearing it down to make room for rebuilding can be a challenge. If it's completely demolished, a front-loader will do the job. I believe current military theory is that an enemy soldier killed on the battlefield is one enemy soldier out of action, but an enemy soldier severely wounded on the battlefield and taken to shelter by his comrades is three enemy soldiers out of action. |
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Post by zimmyhoo on Mar 19, 2014 14:14:12 GMT
The page layout on that was traumatizing with my small screen.
(Back, and not vomiting! ^^; )
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Post by Sky Schemer on Mar 19, 2014 14:24:36 GMT
Same here. Also, that is almost certainly the same reaper as from the page referenced above; maybe he just shaved his moustache? Though why anyone would want to shave this moustache of awesomeness, I don't know Well, according to Wikipedia, which of course we all know is never wrong, "The Ankou is the last person to die in a parish during a year. The last deceased person will assume the duty of calling for the dead." So, maybe this one was a woman, or a guy who just preferred a clean shave. |
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Post by alpacalypse on Mar 19, 2014 14:25:57 GMT
On the question of whether Jones can see the Psychopomps, I don't believe she can, but as when Kat met Ketrak and Muut, they can make themselves visible to the non-etherically blessed. Seeing as how Coyote knows about her history, I wouldn't be surprised if she has some sort of relationship with the psychopomps, seeing as I'm sure they've seen her many times over her lifespan and have entered into conversation with her. I would think that Jones might be the one who arranges for Mort to be a ghost at Gunnerkrigg, seeing as it is sort of her fault he died. That also leads to my other theory, that Jones might be there on behalf of the Court to test the strength of their enemy's weapons. I have thought from the beginning that it was weird that Mort was there, seeing as he was attempting to spook students as a job, he wouldn't be in the Court without some sort of permission. The Court doesn't seem like a place that would allow Ghost to randomly take up residence there.
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Post by keef on Mar 19, 2014 14:51:14 GMT
This page is missing some small caps. If you know what I mean. “I DON'T THINK SHE CAN HEAR YOU.” In Discworld a ghost haunting a castle can move out by attaching himself to a stone from that place, carried out by a living person. As we (sadly) don't have a Nanny Ogg in the Gunnerverse, maybe Jones is the stone Mort attaches to. Probably he just refuses to go with Ankou. |
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Post by aaroncampbell on Mar 19, 2014 15:18:42 GMT
That is exactly what I thought for a second when I saw the first panel. Same here. Also, that is almost certainly the same reaper as from the page referenced above; maybe he just shaved his moustache? Though why anyone would want to shave this moustache of awesomeness, I don't know Well, the picture we see on that page is, if contemporary with Annie, somewhere around 70 years later than what we're seeing on today's page. Plenty enough time to grow such a fine 'stache! Well, according to Wikipedia, which of course we all know is never wrong, "The Ankou is the last person to die in a parish during a year. The last deceased person will assume the duty of calling for the dead." So, maybe this one was a woman, or a guy who just preferred a clean shave. This is interesting, and also quite a plausible explanation. Good find! |
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Post by aaroncampbell on Mar 19, 2014 15:22:09 GMT
page: www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=155and yeah, I wonder what will happen here to make Mort a ghost? Will he refuse to go? Will Jones step in and ask to take responsibility? I don't think Jones can interact with the psychopomps or any of the fun folks at the RotD, so I expect that Mort elects to stick around somehow or other. He may follow Jones out of curiosity or concern, and thereby wind up at the Court, making friends with her along the way. But that's pulling speculation farther than I like, so we'll just wait and see. Hmm.... we know that Jones can interact with Coyote just fine, and he's pretty well about as etheric as it gets. Same for Mort, for that matter, and Mort is clearly the most fun of the folks associated with the RotD.  Aww, now I'm sad. I guess if the world's going to continue to turn though, he'll make it a fun ride. |
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Post by Freedomfiend on Mar 19, 2014 15:26:31 GMT
Ankou! He's my favorite psychopomp. I'd be severely disappointed if he wasn't mine.
On an unrelated note, I have a slight problem; I am unable to leave comments on the comics themselves. Does anyone know how to solve this little issue?
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Post by rosencrantz on Mar 19, 2014 16:42:30 GMT
I think she's just tempted by the helmet. It's spoils of war now. |
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Post by Covalent on Mar 19, 2014 16:48:18 GMT
Huh, so Mort was blown apart, rather than vapourised, judging by the blood on the helmet. Hopefully it was still painless.
And what is a psychopomp? People keep talking about that.
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Post by The Anarch on Mar 19, 2014 16:53:59 GMT
Also there's gonna be certain people disappointed about the presence of clothing here  I gotta say, those are some pretty sturdy clothes Jones is wearing to have survived a bomb. Jones (and her clothes) can survive some flying chunks of stone What is consistent is that clothing is far more resilient to blast waves than the human body is.  |
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Post by The Anarch on Mar 19, 2014 16:56:05 GMT
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Post by Elysium on Mar 19, 2014 17:23:15 GMT
So Mort is of French ancestry? Technically; mort is French... |
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Post by Dvandaemon on Mar 19, 2014 19:41:07 GMT
So how does Annie end up there? Does she just show up in the middle of things and "it's ok I got this" ? Mort can make illusions remember? Also, this is in the past so you can probably say that Ankou just hasn't grown his mustache yet |
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Post by exuberancium on Mar 19, 2014 19:52:58 GMT
Is that some kind of empathy I see there, Jones?
The first thing I thought of when I saw Sombrero!GrimReaper was Calaca from Guacamelee. Clearly, Jones is going to be captured and Mort will have to save her using a mask that returns him to the land of the living and also makes him a luchador.
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Post by philman on Mar 19, 2014 20:17:27 GMT
So Mort is of French ancestry? Technically; mort is French... Technichally Mort is latin, not french, and the word Mort is found in english words associated with death (mortuary, mortician) Interestingly, according to wiki, it sates that the name Mort is particularly associated with the North-West of England, particularly Lancashire (wooo, go Ormskirk...), which I hadn't realised. |
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